Improvement in safety trace-fasteners



PATENT QEEICE.

JOHN F. MORLEY, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY TRACE-FASTENERS.

Speeiiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,195, dated July 18, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J oHN F. MORLEY, of Lansing, in the county of Ingham and State of Michigan, have invented a new and valuable Imy provement in Safety Trace-Fastener for VVhit'letrees; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and opera-tion of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing making a part of this specication, and to the letters and iigures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawing` is a perspective sectional view of the invention with the trace fastened. Fig. 2 represents the device unfastened, attached to either end of the whiffletree, A being closed, and B being opened or a sectional view. Fig. 3 represents the device locked and attached to either erd of a whitlietree, A being closed, and B being opened or a sectional view.

K represents the trace or tug of a harness fastened to the whiftletree by the invention. S S represents the sockets by which the invention is attached to the whifietree. T T represent the whiftletree. F F represent a ily-plate with an aperture in the front end to admit the catch O, and also an aperture in back end through which to fasten the strap H, and back ofwhich is a steel spring, E, which holds the iiy in place on bolt O when fastened. O O is the catch which passes through the cock-eye of the trace, and thence through the ily-plate F when the trace is fastened back to the whiffletree. M M is an attachment to or a part of catch O, which passes over steel spring l), which causes the bolt to ily out when it is released from ily-plate F by pulling the strap H. H is a strap attached tony-plate F, and passes up to the dash-board of the carriage to which the whittletree is attached, and by pulling which the steel spring E is pressed back by the front end of the y-plate F, which works or flies on pivot l?, and which also passes back until it releases the catch O, when the bolt G, which works on pivot X, is thrown out by action of the spring D and the trace is released from the whiiiietree.

In case of breaking the traces or one of the traces of the harness, the action of the whiflietree will cause the. other trace to press against the ily-plate F sufficiently to release the catch O, and also thereby the trace which remained fastened at the time of the accident, and allow a frightened animal to be released from the carriage without further accident or damage.

The invention is to be made of metal.

I claim as my invention and on which I desire Letters Patent- The ily-plate F with the apertures for admitting the catch O and strap H, also the catch O with its attachment M, in combination with the steel springs D and E and the strap H, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

l/Vitnesses: JOHN F. MORLEY.

ORvILLE V. FULLER, PERKINS HARLAN. 

